Trace-holder.



J. U. GULLIGAN.

TRACE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MARY. 1913- 1,123,106, Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Swvemtom wi imeooeo W v 1 W my GMT/MW JOHN G. CULLIGAN, OF RICHVILLE, NEW YORK.

TRACE-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Application filed March 7, 1913, Serial No. 732,714.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JOHN C. CULLIGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richville, in the county of St. Lawrence and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trace-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to trace holders; and it has for its object the provision of a device of this character which will include a guard which may be mounted on the whiffletree and positioned immediately at one side of the trace end whereby to positively hold the same against accidental displacement from the whifl'letree.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a retaining device which is also adjustable on the whiflle'tree and adapted to be engaged directly against the surplus or extremities of the trace ends and to hold the same directly confined against the whiilietree and which will be so designed that it will accommodate itself to the surplus end of the trace according to the length thereof.

\Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a whiffietree, showing the application of the device thereto; Fig. 2 is a top plan view, showing the retainer adjusted to accommodate itself to the short terminal of the trace; and Fig. 3 is a section, taken on line 22 of Fig. 2.

The whifrletree 1 herein illustrated is provided near its trace receiving end with a vertical passage 2. The trace guard 3 is preferably constructed from a single piece of metal, preferably wire, which is bent to provide superimposed arms l, which are flared relatively in the direction of the outer end of the whilfletree, the inner ends of the arms being offset from the plane of the flared portions and arranged in parallel relation and provided with terminal eyes 5. The parallel terminals of the arms 4: cmbrace the opposite sides of the whifiletree and as illustrated the eyes 5 are alined with the passage 2, so as to receive therewith a pivot pin 6. The flared arms l are connected with each other by a vertical guard bar 7 which is adapted to lie immediately at one side of the trace and at a point forwardly of the whiflietree receiving eye 8, whereby to positively prevent the ends of the whifiletree from passing through the eye when the trace is in an applied position.

The point of juncture of the arms l with the guard bar 7 is coiled, as at 7, thereby rendering the arms 4 resilient for a purpose which will hereinafter be described. It will be observed after the pin 6 is in serted through the eyes 5 and the alined opening 2 the same is thence bent upwardly, as at 8. The bending of the pin is required to prevent any accidental displacement thereof, in view of the resilient nature of the arms l. Furthermore, the resiliency of the arms 4, frictionally binds the same to a certain extent with the upper longitudinal edges of the trace and prevents any accidental lateral movement of the trace guard in one direction.

A retainer 9 is employed for holding the surplus end of the trace confined behind the whiflietree and directly thereagainst. Said retainer is constructed from a single piece of metal, preferably wire bent to provide superimposed arms 10, which are connected with each other by a vertical bar 11. The arms 10 terminate in alined-eyes 12, which pivotally receive the pin 6, so as to permit the retainer to be adjusted angularly of the guard 8 and with relation to the trace receiving end of the whiflietree. The point of juncture of the vertical bar 11 with the arms 10 is coiled, as indicated at 11, the coiled portions performing a like function as that specified for the trace guard member 3.

From this construction, it is evident that the retainer may be adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 1 to engage against the trace end when there is considerable surplus in the material, while as shown in Fig. 2, the retainer may be adjusted in the direction of the trace receiving end of the whiiiletree and confined against the trace when the end rearwardly of the eye 8 is of minimum length.

A trace holder constructed as described is extremely simple, may be manufactured at a relatively low cost and when applied to the whiflletree as described will effectually serve to hold the trace end in an applied po sition, while serving further to facilitate the operation of connecting or disconnecting the trace, as is evident.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

A trace holder for whifile trees comprising a guardmemb'er having superimposed arm's adapted for the reception of a trace therebetween and connected With each other by a vertical bar disposed at one side of the Whifile tree, said armshaving alined vertical bar disposed at the opposite side 7 of said whifiie tree, and the arms of said guard and retainer members at their polnt fof juncture With said bars being formed to ,provlde spaced pairs of vertically disposed C0118 operatlng to compress said arms into efiective engagement with the opposite edges of-the trace to prevent movement of the lat ter Within the holder.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of tWo'Witnesses.

JOHN o. CULLIGAN. Witnesses: '7 V G120. FOSTER, J. D. l%[o(lurry.

c opies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iiatents,

Washington, I). C. I I 

